What does everyone else think about it ? Any gripes or praise you'd like to dish out ?
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
May 2013
I've downloaded a dozen zips from the Digiscrap Parade Blog Train and I'm happy with what I downloaded. Judging from the previews I've seen of the next DST Blog Train, I say the Digiscrap Parade blog train is a 100% improvement. Well done contributors, I'll be looking forward to the next one!
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1253 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 801 – 1000 of 1253 Newer› Newest»195 - Are you claiming it was you posting the other night about the Babe call and Traci's cowcunt?
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No, Idiot, I'm not claiming that. I'm saying YOU nor anyone else have any idea who is posting what on this blog at anytime. To make a statement otherwise is STUPID. To inform Robin that "her girls are out of control" is ridiculous for obvious reasons. If you cannot figure out what they are, then you are STUPID.
1 - Anyone having an argument with someone anonymous online is an idiot. Yourself included.
1 - Anyone having an argument with someone anonymous online is an idiot. Yourself included.
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The same could be said about you. Why post this if you're above it all? Idiot.
Yourself included.
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Oh, and learn how to grammatically use "yourself" in a sentence, Idiot.
Awww poor #1. No one cares about you or what you think and they certainly couldn't care less about who you are. So sad.
I'm not #1 but I think you're missing the whole point. It seems she/he is saying that people assuming they know who is posting when they don't, is kinda dumb.
I'm not #1 but I think you're missing the whole point. It seems she/he is saying that people assuming they know who is posting when they don't, is kinda dumb.
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Yes, you're right. I didn't think it was that hard to understand what I was saying but by 5's post it must be since it was WAY off the mark.
Does it ever occur to anyone that people might know who is posting here? Someone figured out that Gennifer once ran the blog... I would think it easier to know someone posts here.
Maybe #1 has been falsely accused, but I would bet good money not every accusation has been false.
Who bought DSA?
Doesn't Gennifer still run the blog?
it'a been a well-known "secret" for ages that the SSD babes and designers post here. They've been at every smack blog-and always in the thick of it.
They've been at every smack blog-and always in the thick of it.
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How would you know this for a fact unless you were one of them?
12 - Maybe she is. Maybe she knows because people do talk about this blog and many admit to reading it at the very least. Some even brag about their posts to their friends.
This does happen. Maybe not to you, but really, open your eyes a bit.
Exactly, 13. Good to know that there are still a few people with some brains left in the world ;)
Is this place worth paying for advertising?
http://www.digitalscrapbookpreviews.com/
15 - No. Click on the banner ads - it gives you a forbidden error message.
No she doesn't, 10.
Ok I want a place to hang out where I dont have to listen to a constant Bitch feast about SSD. I Don't care. I am sure there are many other who don't care. Is there nothing better to talk about. Done reading your bitching about the same shit over and over! Going to see if I can find someplace else to read that does not mention SSD in every other sentence.
Oh good lord. It took that long before the cry baby showed up?
Let them bitch about SSD. That way they leave the rest of us alone.
Anonymous said... 15
Is this place worth paying for advertising?
http://www.digitalscrapbookpreviews.com/
May 12, 2013, 6:14:00 PM
Anonymous said... 16
15 - No. Click on the banner ads - it gives you a forbidden error message.
May 12, 2013, 7:14:00 PM
WTH??? I paid to post my products there, why are the ads forbidden?
20 - Amen!
Oh I don't like the comments at SM. It was always from the comment girls, not from regulars. So I knew they left me a comment only because it was their job. That's just as meaningless to me as "Nice page" ... Course it's been a while since I've been active there, so maybe things have gotten better and/or changed.
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I used to be a comment girl (not for SM but another site) and I can tell you that any comment I left was because I truly saw something I really liked. There are plenty of great pages out there - enough to make "quota" without having to just make a comment on every one. I would also read the journaling on pages and comment if it particularly touched me. So don't discount a comment you receive just because it's from a "comment girl" - give yourself a little more credit than that!
15 - No. Click on the banner ads - it gives you a forbidden error message.
May 12, 2013, 7:14:00 PM
WTH??? I paid to post my products there, why are the ads forbidden?
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Must just be a few the ones I clicked on through out the site worked. The only ones that did not were on the landing page on the right side.
#23 - I agree! There's enough good pages out there it's very easy to skip over any that you don't like when you're commenting.
Anyone who depends on comments to feel good about their scrapping is just a pathetic loser.
FFS, grow the hell up and scrap and post in galleries because you like it and not because you want validation from STRANGERS on the internet. It doesn't mean shit WHO's commenting--they're all just anonyomous people on the web.
SMH
I am absolutely certain that anyone coming here to complain that they don't get authentic comments on their layouts is actually putting time and energy into leaving authentic comments on other people's layouts, right? In fact, I bet the people who comment here are so kind that they would leave authentic encouraging posts on layouts because the scrapper put her heart into it, or has a story to tell, and not just because it is well executed by a skilled scrapper. After all, you get out of it what you put into it, no matter what it is.
Christine Smith now owns DSA.
That was sweet 23 - thank you for that! You've given me something to consider :)
What the hell happened to this blog?
#15/16/21 - I'm having no trouble with the banner ads. I use the gallery on that site and it does have decent results. Better than DST.
Was over at STO and surprised that JenEvang is no longer CT lead and I didn't see shenanigans listed. Is there a story here?
And speaking of stories- NOONE is sharing what happened with the copyright lawsuit and/or the WLS note about piracy / copyroght??
25 said: #23 - I agree! There's enough good pages out there it's very easy to skip over any that you don't like when you're commenting.
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But I think that's why some people get annoyed: their LOs are getting skipped over. (I'm not saying whether they're right or you're right or whatever. I'm just saying you've just proven their point.)
having said that, when I was on a store CT, I commented on LOs all the time--much more than was required (30 comments a month was the req). I commented on the WHOLE first page--no LO skipped. I read journaling, I paid attention to what people wrote in their credits (like, "this LO is a tribute to my mother, who died last year"). Then I sincerely commented. If I didn't like the style, I focused on the pics. If I didn't like the pics, I focused on the techniques used. There was ALWAYS something to comment about. What bothers me is when (and I'm not making this example up) someone posts a LO about someone close to them who died and a gallery praiser (or someone else associated with the store) comments "Love the colors! What fun pics you must have had fun!" Uh, what? Did you read the journaling or the credits? (You could have at least said "I'm sorry for your loss" or "What a great way to memorialize your mom.") Insincere/compulsory/inattentive comments like that are what make store praisers look completely robotic in their praise. And a comment like "Nice page!" isn't sincere when it's the ONLY comment a praiser makes for every. single. LO. That praiser at SM writes "Nice page! Love your journaling" or "Love your journaling and great colors! Nice page!" on almost every lo. Sometimes my pages don't have journaling, so I know she's not paying attention.
I don't look for validation in the comments, but I do spend time reading comments people left because it seems only polite to read what someone commented. So when I read automatic/robotic replies then I get annoyed because I wasted my time reading that shit.
Anyone who depends on comments to feel good about their scrapping is just a pathetic loser.
FFS, grow the hell up and scrap and post in galleries because you like it and not because you want validation from STRANGERS on the internet. It doesn't mean shit WHO's commenting--they're all just anonyomous people on the web.
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SPOT ON.
I can't believe how many grown women act like insecure 9 year olds on a regular damn basis.
32 - Shannon left, that's all I know.
35 - Any clue where she disappeared off to? Wasn't that the big coup? That she modelled STO off of GS and then poached a few designers and CT?
Ok, why would anyone pay 7 bucks for these?
http://www.professionalscrapdesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_25&products_id=6545
Has anyone here bought or downloaded from
Www.scrapPNG.com
32/35/36 - Apparently, her coup ended up being her own coup de grâce. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for designers to jump ship.
37 wouldn't download that for free much less pay for it.
Who is Shannon? And are we talking about WLS or STO? *confused*
Christine Smith now owns DSA.
^^^
I've been designing for 4 years and have seen Christine 'retire' twice due to health/mental health issues. I do not believe this bodes well for DSA.
37 wouldn't download that for free much less pay for it.
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Agree.
41 - STO.
Shannon was an admin at GS. She stepped down. JenY then became an admin. Then Shannon and JenY opened a store together while JenY was still an admin at GS. Presumably, the owner of GS didn't know about this until the store opened.
A number of ct and designers from GS went to STO, both exclusively and shared, I believe which is where the poaching part comes from.
It's rumored Shannon and JenY used private information to determine who they would or would not ask to go over to STO. Guess that didn't work out for them very well if people are leaving.
I don't think Shannon designs so I think the only drama there is that they were both admins for gingerscraps while they were planning on opening another store? I don't know. Maybe someone else has more inside info
What is STO?
STO=Scrap Takeout
Rumor is that sales are mediocre at best at STO. The couple of designers I know there are looking somewhere else.
What 47 said...totally all true...
Anonymous said... 21
Anonymous said... 15
Is this place worth paying for advertising?
http://www.digitalscrapbookpreviews.com/
May 12, 2013, 6:14:00 PM
Anonymous said... 16
15 - No. Click on the banner ads - it gives you a forbidden error message.
May 12, 2013, 7:14:00 PM
WTH??? I paid to post my products there, why are the ads forbidden?
May 13, 2013, 10:34:00 AM
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The banner ads on the front page do need to be fixed..but other than that the gallery is great
With Love Studio is not involved in any lawsuit. We updated our piracy policy in the shop and posted it on the blog as well. We feel it is important for a shop to be clear on their stance on copyright and for that information to be readily available.
47 & 48 - That is bad. I thought my sales weren't good because I'm a new designer.
51 - are you selling at another store, too? i wonder how mediocre STO is compared other second tier stores....
I was at a low to mid store and made 5-10x more than I did at STO. I am now homeless, but need to find a good fit before jumping into another bum store.
A lot of the initial STO CT, including JenEvang were told by Jen and Shannon that it was going to be a top tier store with awesome designers. I believe JenE was on JenY's personal CT at the time. They all applied for the store CT based on that assumption and most of them were sorely disappointed from the minute the store line up was revealed. Top tier was probably a stretch from the get go, but I think they opened with a bunch of brand new designers and quickly filled out with "designers" like FranB and DigiDeb...gross. If JenE just left recently, than she stayed way longer than anyone should have. I think a lot of the initial people left pretty quickly, it says a lot about the store when people don't even want to use your stuff for free.
What store has a good group of Admin? Are the CT Admin? If not, what does an admin get - a monthly allowance sort of pay?
mscraps is having a designer call. It says on the call that designer can only sell in one other store besides mscraps yet Joyce, the owner, sells at both shops that she owns plus Oscraps. Interesting how little she believes in her own stores that she has to sell somewhere else entirely, and that she expects more from her designers than she is willing to commit to herself. I wouldn't apply to a store where the owner feels she has to supplement her design income from a competitive site. Not much of a selling feature if you ask me.
My site has one paid admin, she gets a % of gross profit, with a minimum amount if sales are low.
Has anyone here bought or downloaded from
Www.scrapPNG.com
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Never heard of it until now, but looking through it, how can this shoppe be legal in any capacity? I found in their freebie section la la loopsy clip art and it states clearly:
"They have been pulled from the net and zipped up ready for download for your crafting convenience"
Isn't that a blatant violation of what we digi designers have been taught, you can't just go rip images off the net and use them for profit?
Not shopping there even if there was something good to buy.
#58 I just looked at their site too. Isn't it illegal to make copies of money? http://scrappng.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_148&products_id=306
they could be turned in to the feds for promoting counterfeit money.
I have access to a laser printer at work that would do an awesome job of printing as long as I had the right kind of paper,lol!
Definitely illegal to make copies of currency.
t says on the call that designer can only sell in one other store besides mscraps yet Joyce, the owner, sells at both shops that she owns plus Oscraps. Interesting how little she believes in her own stores that she has to sell somewhere else entirely, and that she expects more from her designers than she is willing to commit to herself.
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Not a designer, but I'm a long time scrapper who had a terrible CS experience with her right after she opened Mscraps. At the time, I loved her work, and was excited about her new store. She was a total bitch about my question, and I quit shopping there immediately. Honestly, I'm surprised she still owns one store, much less two. The fact that she sells at OScraps while owning TWO stores would send me running for the hills as a designer.
^this. If she doesn't have enough faith in her own store(s), why should I? I'd never sell at a store where the owner sold somewhere else. Conflict of interest to the extreme.
From #54............but I think they opened with a bunch of brand new designers and quickly filled out with "designers" like FranB and DigiDeb...gross.
What a total bitch! These designers may not be considered so called top designers, but I imagine that they are doing their best. You don't have to look or buy their designs if you think they are so gross!!
I'm not a designer and I don't shop at mscraps or scrapflower.
But- I don't see those stores competing with Oscraps, or each other. I feel like they are different customer bases with very different styles.
No?
Does Vicky just take anyone on who's willing to sell at OScraps? She's had some great designers there over the years, but why she would allow someone like Joyce sell at her store makes me question her business practices.
Didn't SBG have a designer call not that long ago, that they claimed to be their very first one (but wasn't really the first)? They have another one now. Either they are really expanding, or having a hard time keeping their designers.
63 - PattyB. Your designs suck as well.
^^
huh?
Charles having a CT call
http://www.digishoptalk.com/boards/showthread.php?t=318412
101 views, NO replies. When will she get the hint?
Her stuff is terrible. Even if she wasn't batshit crazy, I wouldn't go near that shit for free.
#68- She assumes that is someone named PattyB.
I hadn't taken a look at Oscraps store for months, used to shop there all the time. Lots of new names, but was very happy to see that tailormade designs appears to be back on the scene after a long absence.
Digilicious is going exclusive to SBG. Another designer I won't buy from anymore. Sigh.
SO excited for Digilicious! Will buy all the scraps!
Digilicious is going exclusive to SBG. Another designer I won't buy from anymore. Sigh.
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Why won't you buy from this designer anymore?
76 - Probably because the OP doesn't shop at SBG.
Did someone wave the stupid stick in here lately? Geesh.
63 here and I'm not PattyB...I don't even know who that is and a google search doesn't pull a scrap designer with that name. I don't really care about Digi Deborah or FranB, I'm not even a designer. I'm speaking as someone who was involved and excited about STO until it was actually revealed that NO ONE from GS came over and no established designers from anywhere came either. Deb was just the final straw for me.
As a customer, I could really care less how hard you're trying. You don't get a gold sticker or a trophy for trying hard in real life. If your work warrants it, I don't care if you spent 5 minutes or 5 hours on something, I'll buy it. Deb's stuff is horrible. Weird color palettes, fake fake elements, colors and themes that don't go together (I'll never forget her pink man's kit). And obviously, none of it is worth full price since it's constantly on sale and usually packaged with a ton of styles and other garbage. If you're trying that hard and still making nothing, you're wasting your time.
If you've been selling for two or three years and you can't get past STO level stores, you've been hopping around and blaming the stores for your crap sales and you still aren't making more than $100 a month, it's time to take a good hard look at what you're doing. You can call me a bitch and cry about meanies on the smack blog, but you're just lying to yourself.
As a customer, I could really care less how hard you're trying. You don't get a gold sticker or a trophy for trying hard in real life. If your work warrants it, I don't care if you spent 5 minutes or 5 hours on something, I'll buy it. Deb's stuff is horrible. Weird color palettes, fake fake elements, colors and themes that don't go together (I'll never forget her pink man's kit). And obviously, none of it is worth full price since it's constantly on sale and usually packaged with a ton of styles and other garbage. If you're trying that hard and still making nothing, you're wasting your time.
If you've been selling for two or three years and you can't get past STO level stores, you've been hopping around and blaming the stores for your crap sales and you still aren't making more than $100 a month, it's time to take a good hard look at what you're doing. You can call me a bitch and cry about meanies on the smack blog, but you're just lying to yourself.
________________
^just wanted to see it again. Amen, sister.
78 - I agree 100%. Digi Deb's stuff is - not good. She also has her whole store on sale for a crazy low amount and then offers "deals" for half off the low price.
Someone called STO a mid-tier store earlier. I do not agree with that, I'm thinking more of a low-tier, maybe higher than Stuff To Scrap, but not even close to Ginger Scraps or Scrapbook Bytes, etc.
I don't think you're being a bitch or mean at all.
Who is the "owner" (or should I say admin?) of quality digiscrap freebies?
Jen Colon, I think
Jen Conlon
78 - AFREAKINMEN! So tired of designers blaming stores, freebies, etc for their lack of sales. Ladies if you aren't making money, it's because you're making crap not because we have a ton of designers, freebies, or because of the store.
You aren't making money because you suck as a designer. Plain and simple.
Hell, I'm sick of "designers" (I use that term loosely) recoloring a bunch of CU, repackaging it, and calling it a kit.
Guess what: the more CU you use, the fewer sales you're going to get because (1) scrappers already have "your" elements in a variety of colors and (2) savvy shoppers with a bit of PS skills buy the CU packs themselves for less than the price of the kit and make their own versions--and they do so better than the "designer" does.
So buy CU and call yourself a designer. But a true artist, and someone who deserves my money, is someone who thinks up, literally designs (as in, creates via making actual items that are photographed/extracted or via all digital designing), and then sells her (or his) own creations. If you add a CU staple or a ribbon now-and-then, that's OK (cuz why spend 2 hours photographing/extracting a freaking staple?). But if I look at your preview and I recognize more than 3 elements/paper patterns as CU, I don't buy the kit. I want originality, and I want it to be high quality. I spend money for that, but to me, it's a bargain since I can actually USE what I buy.
But as far as 78's comment that you don't get rewarded for trying IRL: yes, you do. Don't you have kids? They bring home "participation" ribbons/plaques/trophies all the damn time. Drives me nuts because THIS is what happens to kids who grow up with the "just because they want something, they should get it" mentality. This is the DS designer version: "I want to be a designer, therefore I AM a designer, even though I barely passed high school and never went to some type of graphic arts college or took a computer course! But wait, why isn't anyone buying my stuff?! It can't be MY fault! I'm fantastic and I have the best ideas EVER and I execute them perfectly on Photoshop, a program I can barely pronounce the name of, let alone use! It must be the freebies'/store's/economy's/customers' faults!"
Gah.
85, I am genuinely curious, so I will ask. What is the maximum you are willing to pay for a kit that meets your criteria (no more than 3 CU Elements/Paper patterns) and how big do you expect the kit to be? As in, how many papers, how many elements? I am assuming you want no recolors, but please tell me if I am wrong. Also, how often do you then expect a new kit from a designer?
I would think, on average, the price for a "full kit" in this market is around $6 and it would normally contain 12-20 papers (we'll average that out to 16) and 35-60 elements (so let's say 45, on average) for a total of 61 pieces. And you think only 3 of those should start from CU, or in other words, 95% of the kit should be completely original, photographed, scanned or drawn by hand, yes?
I don't know if you've ever designed a full kit, but I think your expectations are a tad unrealistic for a designer who is actually trying to turn a fair wage for the time spent on a kit. I try not to use a ton of CU, but my percentage is closer to 20%. I feel this is necessary in order to produce several new kits each month and sell them around the price the market will allow, while trying to earn more than $5 an hour for my time. Of course, any CU I do use in my kits is changed up, as much as possible. But to expect 95% original material in a $6 kit is just not a realistic, or fair, use of any competent designer's time. I'd be interested to know who you are buying from that does meet those criteria.
I make $1600-2000/month making kits made 100% entirely of CU. I don't just recolor it, I make new things with it when it makes sense to do so. Sometimes a ribbon is just a ribbon.
If you don't think there is a market for kits like mine, you're sadly mistaken. Maybe you don't buy them, maybe you do and don't even realize it. I know what my customers want and that's what they get. I'm not out there trying to please everyone and I'm most certainly NOT going to sit around extracting a unique bunch of flowers and for the same price I charge now.
This whole CU argument is tired. Some customers don't want kits with it and most don't really care. As a designer, you decide who you want to market to - neither decision is wrong - and that's it.
I agree that those calling themselves and mostly recolor CU elements don't sound too serious, but as 87 said, if it is used properly as a tool, CU products can be a great asset and definitely not "recognizable". I have seen a designer use one of my CU product and I actually had to ask her to point it to me as I could not identify it from the get go. That is a good designer work, no matter how many CU she uses.
But as far as 78's comment that you don't get rewarded for trying IRL: yes, you do.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I did say you don't get rewarded in real life. I wasn't counting your 1st grade soccer team or whatever. I meant once you're an adult. And while I agree that we're raising some pretty entitled kids, Deborah and Fran are not children or even close, I don't think that arguement applies to them.
As far as CU, I will buy kits with CU to an extent. If I'm buying kits from you and I notice the exact same ribbon, button or paper patterns in every kit, that's just lazy. There are a few designers that throw the same CU basics into every kit and it's frustrating when you go to scrap a page and they all come out the same because there's no variety. If I buy three kits from you in a row and the only thing different is the color palette and a couple of theme elements, I probably won't be back. So if you've hand extracted a ribbon but you use it in every single kit, that's basically the same as using the same Rachael's Scraps ribbon in every kit. As someone who doesn't design, I can't tell you if an element is CU or not anymore (unless it's something super overused), but I can tell you when I've got nine or ten of them from the same designer.
Hey Pixels & Co., how about putting stuff in a folder before zipping it up? I got your Free Love kit but it exploded all over my desktop when I unzipped it.
#90- LOL! I hate that too.
Question about those zips: how do you unzip? When I unzip a single file, I right-click on the file, then I have the option of "Extract here" or "Extract as (name of the file)". If I have several files to unzip, I will open my Winzip (or Winrar) and if several files are selected, I can enter the name of a folder to be created. It never explodes like I often read. What am I doing differently?
92 - Did you download and unzip the same file 90 is talking about without any problems?
Anonymous said... 90
Hey Pixels & Co., how about putting stuff in a folder before zipping it up? I got your Free Love kit but it exploded all over my desktop when I unzipped it.
******************
"Free Love"! What did you expect?
I would expect free or not to represent what the store has to offer.
Some people are so stupid.
Try sticking it into a folder before extracting - just in case. That's what I used to do. I know it's a pain, but complaining most likely won't get you anything, so better safe then sorry to just make a folder first. I haven't had that problem since I switched to a mac (thank goodness) but I remember it being an issue on a PC. Making a folder was the only sure way it wouldn't explode on my desktop.
I dl'd freelove and only the papers exploded. Inconvenient, yes, but hardly worth getting my knickers in a twist for since the elements & alphas all arrived in their folders so I don't have to sift through.
I always Open the zip rather than Save the zip. It pops up a new window with what is inside the zip. If the files are in a folder then I just copy (drag) it to the folder I want it in. If the files aren't in a folder, then I will see that, create the folder, and then copy (drag) them there. I've never had anything explode. Seems like it saves a step too.
The maximum I will pay for a kit is around $7/8 {30+ elements/12+ papers}. For me it's not about CU or no CU. It's about the colors used and the quality of the elements/papers. Gamut is important to me. Yes I can correct it, but at $7 a kit, I shouldn't have to. I refuse to buy from Flergs anymore for just that reason. I love her kits but they are notoriously out of gamut.
For a collection the most I'm willing to pay is $20 and that better be an amazing collection. I don't like collections that have quick pages or glitter styles. I don't use either and I'm not sure the average scrapper does either.
I expect the collection to be not much more than twice the amount they sell the kit for.
89 -
Over the iNSD I bought some themed kits for something like $0.75-1 per kit. I ended up deleting most of the elements. Each kit (around 500 MB each!) had about 50 ribbons, 40 frames, 150 flowers (I am not kidding!) in every single color of the palette! Who needs so many? The worst thing? They were the same in every kit I bought, the same layered flowers, the same curled ribbons, the same buttons etc etc. So for 1 dollar I bought a bunch of themed elements (probably CU, but I don't mind about them) and some papers! I would prefer that. The jammed packed kit with useless elements was just a waste of space.
Probably a low tier store. They like to "bulk up" on the elements with loads of recolors. Which is fine, but if they aren't quality and all your designers are using the same cu with little modification then you get incidents like this where you've spend a bunch of money just to delete a bunch of stuff.
Well, crap. Sorry about that, 90.
94: Thanks for the giggle. Free Love can be messy sometimes. ;)
- Gennifer
What is gamut? Not trying to be dense, but I've never heard this before...
Also, I agree about the collections. I don't use QPs. Wasn't sure anybody really ever did.
Okay. 903 again. I even went and looked up gamut. I still don't understand. I get that it has to do something with color, but cannot follow that much technical....
Gamut is the colors that can be printed. There are colors that you can see on your screen and on the web that can't be printed. When a color is out of gamut it will most likely just print a similar color and you won't even notice but sometimes it will print an entirely different color and that would be disappointing.
Like 105 said, gamut is the range of colors that are able to be printed. Yellows, Pinks, Oranges & Reds and other highly saturated colors are the worst offenders.
Depending on the degree, you can get a completely different color when printing. Reds can go brown, yellows can also go brown or green. Elements can lose their depth and realism. Usually it's not that dramatic, but that doesn't change that if you're claiming to be a professional, you should be a professional and do the complete job.
Wow. I didn't know that! Thanks!
Yes, thanks. That's much easier to understand than wikipedia.
100- I used to not include many recolors until I started looking at programs to scrap with other than PS. Many of the just scrapbooking programs do not let you recolor. So an experienced scrapper in PSE/PS/PSP can recolor fine, but someone using a more basic program cannot. I don't do each color in the swatch for every piece of my kit, but I do provide each piece in two or three colors so my customers can get create the page they want and have some variety.
105 - 106 Thanks for the info about gamut. I've found that out by accident ... :(
Do you know how we can check out colors to make sure they aren't out of gamut?
In Photoshop go to view-gamut warning. PSE cannot check gamut.
Tiffany has some wonderful tuts on quality control, you can learn more about gamut in #10
http://inspiredbydominic.com/blog/index.php?blogId=2
I have Tiffany's QC actions to check gamut and such and if something is out of gamut it can adjust it.
If a scrapper does not have Photoshop, how can they check for gamut before they use stuff they purchased when they plan on printing a photobook? Not all scrappers have Photoshop. Some user PSE, others PSP, others GIMP or MyMemory. Any online way to check for gamut?
Did someone receive sn email from zoe? ..just wonder if she sent an email only to the "chosen" scrappers
114: I'm not sure if there's another way, but it really is most troubling with super bright, saturated colors. Once you know what you're looking for, you can usually see it without having to check.
Out of gamut doesn't make one bit of difference because the books or individual LOs you have printed at 12 x 12 do not use actual service bureau printing. Something like Vogue magazine uses service bureau printing. The places we use all use a process that is more like a copy machine.
I have printed 3 books - 1 Blurb, 1 Shutterfly and one Vivio, and I had many LOs that were out of gamut and they all printed beautifully.
117 - if that is the case (not doubting you), then why are designers always saying that it has to be part of the QC? Complaints that this or that designer always uses colors out of gamut or such, we hear left and right. So why? Just to show off their knowledge and skills?
Because somebody got on this blog and ranted about it. She sounded like she knew what she was talking about (and she probably had experience with a service bureau printing company for a real magazine or printed circular). However, we aren't using that kind of printing.
So, unless it is a color that will blind you at first glance, worrying about gamut is a waste of time and energy?
I've always heard it said this way... if the "saturation" level of your color is above 85-90, then it will likely be out of gamut. Those colors don't exist in the natural world, only on a computer screen.
Or something like that.
But yeah, I think some people make a bigger deal of it than it really is, just to sound important.
If you print with a CMYK printer gamut does make a difference.
Artscow prints in CMYK http://forum.artscow.com/ShowPost.aspx?ThreadId=10955
32-Shannon left STO because of personal things in her life. It had nothing to do with anything at STO.
115 - She made an announcement on her Facebook page that she can't decide. I didn't apply because I don't CT anymore and this is one of the many reasons why.
These designers kill me. You don't like having calls, then DON'T. You can't make decisions on the day you announce you will, then DON'T say you'll announce anything.
Now everyone will kiss her ass and tell her how awesome she is just so they can make her CT when 99% of them couldn't care less. They just want free stuff and some sort of status about being on her CT.
Congrats to those who make it. You're getting free shit from a flake who probably takes 30 mins to choose her underwear in the morning. Enjoy!
Seriously. Of all the things that are difficult in life, choosing a CT seems to be one of the easiest. Where designers always such drama queens? I've only been around a couple years and that's about all I see.
Were*
#125- When was she supposed to announce her new CT? No, I did not apply. I'm not a fan of having to kiss a designers ass daily. I'm just curious if any of the SSD regulars made it.
She was supposed to announce it today. She said her goal was to announce it this morning, but then she couldn't decide, so she would announce it tonight. Then she posts tonight that she still can't decide. I'm sure it will be SSD regulars. She probably can't decide which ass kissers to take now that Tara and Trish are Babes. Notice how neither one of them have been talking in the forums... shocking.
129 - I hadn't noticed. I was too busy barfing over the shit pages Trish has been posting on Facebook.
Laura, Loni, Tracy, Trish and Tara, OMFG they seriously need to take a class because they just throw crap on the page and it's like huh? Edit your photos at least or crop them more. I cringe when I have to look at their pages in the Sugarbabe gallery. ickkk ickkk ickkk I know the designers are like please don't use my designs, please don't!
Mscraps has way to many designers and they don't even mesh together. Joyce will take anyone as long as she can profit. I hate looking at that store product and stay away as much as possible.
126 its not just the designers being drama queens about calls. You should hear how some of this lot go on and on about how designers either didn't contact them, or didn't like they way they were contacted, or just don't like the tone or wording of a call. The drama is certainly not limited to designers.
^^^^^126 so true.
Is digiscrapconnect closed or did i missed something ?
I agree that if designers have such a difficult time choosing a ct, why don't they simply ask people whose work they admire? I know! Most of them LOVE the dog and pony show associated with it. They love getting all the attention and the ass kissing from the applicants. They'd have to or they'd do it all differently. I, for one, would rather walk across hot coals than apply and do all that schmoozing. No kit is worth that to me.
131 - Since the designers voted for them to become Babes, why would they be hoping they don't use their products? That doesn't make sense to me.
You mean like this gem, 131?
http://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=282868&title=dearest-little-boy-blue&cat=500
Horrible everything, including a hideous photo. Look how many products she used to make that horrible page, too. How is that selling kits? Do they have nothing inside of them that she had to use 3 FULL kits to make a page, in addition to 2 element packs?
I know they voted her 136, but as a designer, I would never want someone who had to use 3 of my kits to make one very bland, ugly page. That just sends the wrong message... but, it's Trish and they asked for her.
I'm post 85, and I'm going to answer 86's question. It's tough to show emphasis in the written word when I can't use italics (how do you do that? Normal html code?), but I actually said that if I *recognize* more than 3 items as CU in a preview, then I don't buy the kit. That word "recognize" is what makes all the difference...if I have seen a CU item in five kits and then I see it (and other CU items) in your preview, then I assume that you aren't really designing: you're just recoloring CU element templates/ribbons/etc.
Anyway, if a kit has CU items BUT I don't automatically recognize them as such when I scan the preview, then that's OK. So, I may have purchased from you, 86. Don't worry. :) What bothers me is when a designer just plops CU in a kit and calls it "her own creation." No...it's someone else's idea that you're just repackaging.
As far as price: I don't like to pay more than $8 for a kit. (Insight into my habits: Lately I've been only shopping at TLP, but I sometimes shop at SBG, SM, and SO--though not there very much lately. The gallery put me off the store. Sorry, SO designers! That's not your fault!) I do agree with your kit size: 12 or more papers and at least 25 elements (though I never complain about more!). Anything smaller than 10 papers and 25 elements is, to me, a mini kit ESPECIALLY if there are recolors. Recolors listed as "unique elements!" make me feel like my head is going to explode.
I was a designer. I photographed/scanned/drew by hand/used Illustrator to draw most of my items. If I used CU, I changed it so much it no longer looked like the original CU item. (I used CU as a "jumping off point," if you will.) I don't have a problem with CU per se. I have a problem with "designers" using 40% or more CU items in their kits and claiming to be the actual designer. No, someone else designed the items--you repackaged them. (BTW, I'm using the general "you" here.)
And 87, if you designed using 100% CU and sold well, then good for you. But I'm a scrapper who also designed. If I wanted the elements/papers that were made from CU, then I would have purchased the CU pack and done the alterations myself.
Let's say I want a rainy day kit. I look at 7 different kits with that theme, and 6 of them use a vector set by Miss Tiina. I don't want 6 versions of her set: I'll just go buy her vectors and make exactly what I want. That doesn't mean a kit with 100% CU is going to suck; it just means that I'm probably not going to buy it. That's fine. I'm not your customer base. There's nothing wrong with that(for you or for me). Back to the rainy day kit example. Let's say I buy 3 of those kits I looked at. I'm going to be very annoyed to unzip them and realize they contain many of the exact same themed elements just in different colors. I want my money to go toward originality and to truly unique elements. That way I can make lots of pages but not have them look alike.
A person can be a CTM without being a butt kisser. If I don't like a designer's kits, I don't apply to the call. So if I like the kits, then it's not hard to tell the designer what I like about them. That, to me, isn't butt kissing. I find out if I like the kits by actually buying her things before I see a call. I have a list of designers I'd like to ct for, so when I see a call from one of them, I'll apply. I don't apply to every and any call that comes up.
139 - So, you're on CTs at SSD without being a butt kisser?
89 said "I did say you don't get rewarded in real life. I wasn't counting your 1st grade soccer team or whatever. I meant once you're an adult. And while I agree that we're raising some pretty entitled kids, Deborah and Fran are not children or even close, I don't think that arguement applies to them."
^^^That was my point. It was tongue-in-cheek. It's childish to want to be rewarded/expect validation. We, as adults, should stop assuming that everything we do deserves validation (or, put another way, adults need to edit themselves and realize not everything they do will be The Best Ever).
140-I didn't say I was at SSD--I said I'm a CTM for several designers. As a matter of fact, I don't even shop there. I don't participate in the forum there. I don't care for many of the designers there. There is ONE I like, and if she has a call, I'll apply. I don't have to be a butt kisser.
She's baaaaakkkk!!!
SmashingScraps.com
She's having surgery next week and feels so tired, but she's still opening another store. Maybe she will post the promised freebies there.
Of course she hasn't actually even loaded anything in the store yet - all that is there is from her trusty sidekick, but she is advertised as being one of the designers on the CT call that has been put out.
Who was it that had 2 months in the pool as to how long it would take her to start another store?
142 - The entire point of the CT and butt kissing was in reference to SSD, so why you offered your off-topic opinion is known only to you.
It's pretty common knowledge non-SSD CTs don't require butt kissing.
I am on a CT for a SSD designer and have been for over 5 years and I am not a butt kisser either. It is a requirement to do layouts not kiss ass.
SSD . . . gag, retch, puke
She's baaaaakkkk!!!
SmashingScraps.com
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Who is "she" ?
The only designer I see listed at that store is Princess Lala designs. Never heard of her.
#147 Lala is Laura White, one of the Divine Digital "partners". Lala is RaRa's sidekick. Studio Ra Designs is listed as one of the designers at the store in the CT Call posted on the Divine Digital facebook page, even though apparently poor Royanna has been too sick to load anything into the store (though not too sick to do a 5K fun run)
So I have a question. And please no smacking here. I am a designer and am trying to get into a better store because where I am at my sales aren't that great and I do feel that I have improved my designs a lot in the past year or so. I have inquired at a couple of stores but don't hear back. So of course it makes me feel bad. I have had freebies posted on quality digital scrap freebies so I don't think my stuff is that horrible. How am I supposed to better myself?
Maybe talk to a designer friend and ask for an honest critique of your work.
Is oscrap a top tier store?
So I have a question. And please no smacking here. I am a designer and am trying to get into a better store because where I am at my sales aren't that great and I do feel that I have improved my designs a lot in the past year or so. I have inquired at a couple of stores but don't hear back. So of course it makes me feel bad. I have had freebies posted on quality digital scrap freebies so I don't think my stuff is that horrible. How am I supposed to better myself?
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Does your style "match" with the stores you applied? Maybe it's just this..try to ask somewhere else. I saw a couple of designer calls, Have you tried there?
#152 yes there are other designers with similar styles as mine so I would think I would fit in and that is why I tried to apply there. Which calls are you referring to? The ones I see are not my type of style.
I guess I just don't understand why SSD gets smacked so much. If you don't like the designers, the ctms, or the owner, I have a suggestion for you. Just don't shop there. Don't waste your time in the forum, and just stay away from there. I do, and I don't think I miss out on anything.
There's an open call at One Story Down for over 2 months. There's a call at SBG. There was a guest call at Scrap Flowers but I'm not sure if that's still open.
Also a call at Mscraps (I think it ends this weekend).
Why is it so hard for stores to keep the download links active for over 5 days?
I really appreciate the stores that keep them active for 15-20 days.
Some of us have a life. It took me forever to shop and I need 6-8 hours to download everything. I was away and I couldn't download these past two weeks.
Now I have to contact a few stores so they can reactivate my links. Bummer.
I'll be back soon with the time period the stores give for active download links.
An upgrade has to be made. This is ridiculous.
Shabby Miss Jenn: 7 days
The Lilypad: 720 hours (30 days)
Scrap Orchard: 168 hours (7 days)
The Digi Chick: 168 hours (7 days)
MScraps: 168 hours (7 days)
Scrap Matters: 532 hours (22 days)
Oscraps: 336 hours (14 days)
Scrapbook Graphics: 250 hours (10 days)
Peppermint Creative: 7 days
Sweet Shoppe: 120 hours (5 days)but 2 weeks later the links are still active
Pixels & Co: Links don't expire
Kudos to Pixels & Co for having active links forever.
Also The Lilypad used to have active links for 5-7 days a while back and they changed that. Bravo!
I'm starting to like Scrap Matters a lot lately and Sweet Shoppe thank you for keeping my links active.
wow it looks like Tanyia made it into Zoe's team too didn't she just quit like several teams last week so she could spend time with her family. LOL
I guess I just don't understand why SSD gets smacked so much. If you don't like the designers, the ctms, or the owner, I have a suggestion for you. Just don't shop there. Don't waste your time in the forum, and just stay away from there. I do, and I don't think I miss out on anything.
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I happen to like some of their designers, don't frequent the forum at all, can't stand some of the Babes' work and feel the need to smack some of the things I don't care for every now and then.
#159- That is a serious, fucking joke. I feel badly for anyone of any remote scrapping talent who wasn't taken when that complete and total flake made it. What is Zoe thinking? Most of the CTs Tanyia left were SSD teams, so it's not like she wouldn't know. Insanity.
If you think for one minute that there isn't a bunch of cat-fighting and backstabbing going on behind the scenes at SSD, then think again. That place is a viper pit.
Has Megan Turnidge announced the results of her CT call yet?
If you think for one minute that there isn't a bunch of cat-fighting and backstabbing going on behind the scenes at SSD, then think again. That place is a viper pit.
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It is not. The people on the outside are the ones who fight about SSD, the inside ones do not. Everyone gets along just fine. There's tiffs now and then but nothing heavy duty. Robin wouldn't put up with it and neither would most of the designers.
I am not even surprised to see Tanyia made it. She's one of the people who make 9 out of 10 team calls.
#147 Lala is Laura White, one of the Divine Digital "partners". Lala is RaRa's sidekick. Studio Ra Designs is listed as one of the designers at the store in the CT Call posted on the Divine Digital facebook page, even though apparently poor Royanna has been too sick to load anything into the store (though not too sick to do a 5K fun run)
May 18, 2013, 12:32:00 PM
Holy shit. I can't believe Royanna is still around. Who was stupid enough to buy from her-or sell in her store after that "I'm homeless and living in my car" stunt she pulled a few years ago?????? That is one crazy lady, and it's been well known for years.
The only crazier one I've seen was that Amanda somebody who was claiming that rival scrappers/designers were shooting at her front door and then she came back as a designer at SO under a different name.
So much stupid, pointless drama.
It is not. The people on the outside are the ones who fight about SSD, the inside ones do not. Everyone gets along just fine. There's tiffs now and then but nothing heavy duty. Robin wouldn't put up with it and neither would most of the designers.
May 18, 2013, 11:54:00 PM
My experiences say otherwise. I completely disagree. And, Robin is one of the worst shit-stirrers out there. Same with quite a few of the designers-they live for the drama and catfights.
I make $1600-2000/month making kits made 100% entirely of CU.
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I call BS on this. I don't believe that there are very many designers out there making this kind of money. If you are, then be man enough to spit out where you sell so that we can all apply at that store. The numbers of shoppers coming through there must be huge.
I am sure there are designers that do well in this industry or they would not put in the time it takes. Some do this as a hobby more or less yes but there are some that do well.
168
You can call BS all you want, but you'd be wrong. If you aren't making anywhere near that, why would I ever want you at my store? If you can't get accepted at a store where you're making at least half that, then it' not the store. It's you.
Some do well, yes. But many more don't.
I make $1600-2000/month making kits made 100% entirely of CU.
hard to believe you're using 100% CU. If you're relying 100% on CU, then you're not as talented as you think.
I make $1600-2000/month making kits made 100% entirely of CU.
hard to believe you're using 100% CU. If you're relying 100% on CU, then you're not as talented as you think.
----------------
^^This
172
Tell that to my savings account.
#174- Gina Miller?
Some designers make money from their talents, some from the store traffic, some from their marketing skills. Not everyone makes money from designing skills. Some designers in stores with high quotas don't seem to be that skilled yet they are still there. More skill is certainly better, and skills as a designer does not mean skill at drawing. Using CU in a clever way is a skill in itself (as you know, many don't have it!). And btw, I am not the one claiming to make $1600-$2000, as I only make about $400/month myself as a sideline after my full time day job.
#174- Gina Miller?
May 19, 2013, 4:00:00 PM
lol, the attitude certainly fits!
After reading this blog, you'd think there is only one store-forum around. You are wrong. There are plenty out there! Take a look, and you may find happiness elsewhere.
Does Krystal Hartley always act like a desperate slut on her FB page? How many times can she act "lesbian" in one day. Enough already.
What ??
145 said "I am on a CT for a SSD designer and have been for over 5 years and I am not a butt kisser either. It is a requirement to do layouts not kiss ass."
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I'm on a CT for a SSD designer too. She's one of the sweetest women I've "met" in the DS community. And her reqs are some of the more relaxed, too. IDK what she's like behind the scenes at SSD cuz I don't CT for them, but I can't imagine she's a snake in a viper pit there when she's so nice to her own team and her customers (I bought from her before being on the CT). Perhaps there are a few Queen Bees at SSD, but I doubt the whole place is that bad. And if you're behind the scenes there and you think it's so horrible, then why are you there? Maybe you're part of the problem.
My experiences say otherwise. I completely disagree. And, Robin is one of the worst shit-stirrers out there. Same with quite a few of the designers-they live for the drama and catfights.
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Bullshit. This is a big fat lie. Like a prev. poster said, if your experience is that negative than you may be (I SAY ARE FOR SURE) part of the problem. Get over it. Go somewhere else if you're there and hate it; if you're not, then you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Does Krystal Hartley always act like a desperate slut on her FB page?
-
Yes, she thinks or likes to make people believe that she's very hot. She's constantly posting facial shots that are supposed to be sexy, sensual or whatever. I agree; it's enough and I wonder why she doesn't just post a picture of herself like everyone else does instead of looking like she's trying to advertise for some skin flick? It's not erotic; it's silly.
Does Krystal Hartley always act like a desperate slut on her FB page? How many times can she act "lesbian" in one day. Enough already.
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Why not simply unfriend her? It doesn't sound like you're any type of 'friend' anyway.
Really. The only pictures on her designer page on Facebook are layouts. So if you're her "friend", unfriend her.
^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^ so sick of people friending designers and CT and then complaining about the personal posts. If you 'friend' a designers personal page don't complain if they post things you don't like just remove them from your feed or unfriend them like an adult.....
SuzyQ is closing shop @ SO and moving to SBG.
^ Doesn't feel like such a good fit, plus I just scrapped with one of her freebies during iNSD and found horrible quality problems...
187 - Where did you see that announced?
186- totally agree. I never friend-request people in the industry. But when they friend-request you, you are caught in a catch 22- ignore or decline and you are called a bitch, accept and you have people bitching about your personal posts. Please, if you don't agree with a designer's style, substance or stance, just un-friend them.
She hasn't announced it publicly yet 189. But I'm sure she will soon. Her shop closes Friday.
I didn't actually see this post, I'm just going off what I was told when I asked someone about her product quality (I've never bought from her before).
Does anyone know if this is actually a font? Because a while back, Amanda Heimann put out a set of alphas that are exactly the same. If it's not a font......oops HF, busted.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/217332_251153788356447_1706812935_n.jpg
186 - ITA.
179 - How does one act "lesbian" anyway? Is she a lesbian? It doesn't matter to me but it seems strange you'd bring that up. You're either jealous or a bigot. Congrats.
I'm pretty sure most of these bitches, and yes if you friend someone and then talk shit about them behind their back on a smack blog you're the ultimate definition of a bitch. I'm pretty sure most of these bitches who friend designers only do so out of some sense of silly competition.
Like how many designers can I have as my "friends". You clearly aren't their friend in any capacity. Just be a fan on the fan page and stop friending people you don't actually know and unfriend those you no longer like for whatever reason and be done with it.
193 - How does one act "lesbian" anyway? Is she a lesbian? It doesn't matter to me but it seems strange you'd bring that up. You're either jealous or a bigot. Congrats.
It's the in thing now. To "be" bisexual and hit on all your female friends.
Who do you think would be a good fit to join SBG?
SuzyQ has announced she's moving to SBG. I'm surprised. Things must be really, really bad at SO if she's jumping ship. My guess is that she's one of the more successful designers there.
I told ya so.
196 I was thinking the exact same thing, gotta wonder what is going on there and how bad sales have gotten for Suzy to jump ship
Suzy Q at SBG? Not good. That's just not a good move at all for her or them.
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Agree if people don't like what someone does on FB, unfriend them and stfu.
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Krystal H. DOES attempt to look sensual or whatever in her avatar pics and most of them look ridiculous on a scrapbook forum.
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When a designer leaves a store, it doesn't always mean it's about the money. I speak from experience.
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